One more state has joined the fight for digital death rights! This month, Senator Dorothy Hukill, in Florida, introduced SB 102 addressing digital access issues after death.

Her bill, modeled after the Uniform Law Commission’s recommended Digital Assets Act, automatically allows an individual’s executor unlimited access to all digital assets upon death. That means access to email accounts, Facebook profiles, bank accounts, and more, without any restrictions.

Many large companies are beginning to offer options for accessing accounts after death, but are still treating online assets as company property. Even thoughtful changes like Facebook’s “Legacy Contact” and Yahoo!’s “Yahoo! Ending” service still put restrictions on what information can be accessed by representatives, even if a will specifically grants someone unlimited digital rights.

Legislative changes put the power of access back in the hands of the individual, allowing YOU to decide what happens to YOUR content and assets.

The recommended Digital Assets Act also allows individuals to “opt out” of the automatic access clause by adding provisions in their own documents. Individuals can provide access to different people for sites, give specific instructions, or even deny access all together.

If you’d like to find out what kind of legislation (if any!) is being considered in your state, check out our handy list here. It’s important to know what your rights are, and to ensure you give sufficient access authorization in your documents. If you’re worried about companies restricting access, make sure you have detailed and well organized website and password lists for your family. You may even want to consider a password vault.